Sergio Aguero blasts ‘entitled’ Real Madrid for their reaction to Vinicius Jr losing out on the Ballon d’Or to Rodri – and insists his ex-Man City teammate is a worthy winner of the prize

Sergio Aguero has labelled Real Madrid ‘entitled’ in a rebuke of the club’s reaction to Vinicius Jr missing out on the Ballon d’Or. 

The Brazilian winger and his club were outraged by the decision to award the prestigious prize to Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri and boycotted the Paris ceremony on Tuesday night. 

In a statement, the Spanish giants claimed that neither Rodri nor Dani Carvajal winning it proved that UEFA had no respect for the club. This was followed by a report on Wednesday from Vinicius’ camp that the 24-year-old believes the snub was down to his vocal opposition to racism. 

Aguero, who played with Rodri for two seasons at the Etihad, believes his former teammate is a worthy winner of the gong and he slated Madrid for their attitude towards the result. 

‘Well deserved. Rodri is the best player in the world.’ He said on his streaming channel. ‘Football is for everyone, not just Real Madrid – they are so entitled.’

The Brazilian winger was the favourite for the award after helping Madrid to LaLiga and the Champions League

Aguero believes that his former teammate Rodri is a worthy winner following his success at club and international level

Vinicius was a hot favourite to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or after his epic contribution helped lead Madrid to a LaLiga-UEFA Champions League double.

He hit six goals and four assists in ten Champions League appearances and tallied 20 goal involvements in 26 La Liga matches.

He broke his silence just minutes after an emotional Rodri picked up the prize on Tuesday night, in recognition for his roles in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph and his club side’s fourth consecutive Premier League.

‘I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready,’ he posted on X, hinting at future successes.’

Reuters later reported that this comment was a reference to his fight against racism in recent years. ‘The football world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system.’ A member of the Brazilian winger’s management staff is quoted by the outlet as saying.

Madrid’s statement to AFP said: ‘If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was not in attendance to accept his best men’s coach prize

‘As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.’

As a result, Manager Carlo Ancelotti was not present to accept his award for best men’s coach and there were no representatives to collect the award for the best men’s team.